Nermin Aydemir JTW Columnist printable version send your friend message to author add comment ()

Friday, 9 January 2009

A new immigration law is passed on the 15^th March 2006 in the Netherlands. Foreign people, who want to stay in the Netherlands for more than three months, have to pass a “civic integration exam” to apply for a temporary residence permit. This applies for foreign people, who want to form a family with someone in this country or to reunite with family members already living in the Netherlands. Religious leaders, coming to the Netherlands for employment, such as imams and preachers, also have to do the exam.

The civic integration exam consists of two parts. On the first part, the basic knowledge of the Dutch society is measured whereas the second part is a language test. The exam is taken via telephone, orally in Dutch. And  held in the embassy or consulate general of the country of residence. The applicant has to pay 350 Euros for the exam and has to pass be successful in both parts to get a pass. If the applicant fails in either parts, he/she has to retake the exam, and pay the fee again. A “pass” is valid for one year. The would be new comer has to proof that he/she has passed the exam in order to apply for a residence permit.

The Netherlands is not the only country with though naturalization regulations. Many other old European countries have recently been hardening the process. Similar regulations are also either implemented or at the stage of developing in many other old European countries. Indeed, it is by no means an easy task to deal with large migrant populations with different cultural backgrounds. It is highly necessary to integrate those people to the societies, they live in. All these regulations are quite significant in facilitating the naturalization process. Moreover many European societies face economic and social difficulties and it is-to a certain extent- acceptable to restrict further immigration. But on the other hand, balancing such restrictions and just seems not very easy. Making family unifications practically impossible does not seem very fair, indeed. All in all, family is seen as the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and state. Men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race, nationality, or religion have the right to marry and found a family. When the other necessities such as employment contracts, long lists, etc. are taken into consideration this becomes almost impossible. One of the fundamental human rights has been considerably ignored in this context.

On the other hand, the civic integration exam is not implemented for a high number of countries. People from EU countries and citizens of Australia, the US, Canada, Hungary, Iceland, Japan, Liechtenstein, Monegasque, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland, and a Vatican are exempted from this procedure. And significant privileges are applied for citizens of the former colony, Surinam. This fact raises questions about the existence of a discrimination against certain backgrounds.

According to the cabinet declaration on 16^th March 2003, people who want to stay in the Netherlands for a long time have to participate into the society life and therefore should learn the Dutch language, should be interested in the Dutch values and norms.  The ministry of Justice claims that the reason behind the new regulation is to better integrate the foreigners into the social life. People, who come to the Netherlands, on a voluntary basis, should learn the language and have a basic knowledge about the Dutch civil society before they arrive. Inadequacies in the language and unfamiliarity with the basic values of the society harden the integration process. But on the other hand, learning the Dutch language abroad is not an easy task, and in many cases not possible at all.  
An extreme rightist leader had encountered strict formal and informal sanctions when he used the Netherlands are full, in late 1980’s for the first time. However, eyes have nowadays become blind when the same thing is disguised with a liberal discourse. In other words, there is no difference in practically preventing immigration from specific countries or hindering it legally. These renewed naturalization regulations, which are supposed to integrate foreigners into the Dutch society, are so strict that they close all the doors for this process indeed.